By joining Alpha Impulsion as an embedded systems engineer in the Toulouse office, you will play a key role in the development of AMBER, Alpha Impulsion's small scale autophage demonstrator for suborbital flight and in-space propulsion.

Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, you will be responsible for the design of the AMBER avionics, spanning from engine control & acquisition to launch sequence and TT&C.

You will embark on a young project, with the opportunity to build it from start to qualification and exploitation.

Your first project here

Alpha Impulsion is developing a small-scale engine for its demonstrator AMBER. Its goal is to derisk at small scale technologies to be used in the future OPAL engine for in-space activities & GARNET engine for launch vehicles. The results of this demonstration might change the way mini launchers are built, demonstrating performance up to twice that of current propulsion technologies.

Your key responsibilities

As part of your missions, you will be entrusted with the following responsibilities:

• Define the overall avionics architecture and ensure adequate system’s integration in AMBER, taking into account power, frequency, thermal and volume constraints given by the System Engineering team.

• Lead the design of the propulsion system avionics. This includes the Engine Control Unit, the Electrical Power System and the data acquisition system. These systems will be tested first during engine hot-fire tests.

• Lead the design of AMBER avionics, including data acquisition, tracking, telemetry, command, as well as flight systems sequencing (recovery, engine command) and interfaces with the ground segment.

• Lead the development of the real-time control software of AMBER’s ECU, which includes the ignition sequence, thrust control and modulation, data processing, and emergency safety procedures.

• Lead the development of AMBER’s critical ground & flight software, which includes ground operations (filling, purge, checks), recovery, TT&C (launch abort, flight termination system, passivation).

• In collaboration with the system engineer, participate in the various avionics test definition (acceptance, subsystem preliminary tests, firing tests, launch), and ensure that the tests are built for requirements validation.

• Manage a growing avionics team through the design and qualification of our products.

• Build supplier partnerships and manage avionics systems’ procurement.

What we would appreciate most

Required education, experience and skills

• Master’s degree in aerospace or equivalent.

• At least three years of experience on projects such as robots, drones, satellites or launchers, with demonstrated hardware.

• Experience in embedded systems design, including real-time systems (deterministic behaviour, fault tolerance, redundancy), control theory (feedback loops), data processing (acquisition, sensors data retrieval & processing).

• Experience in systems architecture definition, PCB design, microcontroller and FPGA.

• Experience in C development toolchain for embedded systems (time-sensitive or safety-critical), including GIT.

• Experience with embedded communication protocols such as CAN, EtherCAT.

• Demonstrated leadership skills, with previous experience managing a team and ability to report in traceable technical documentation.

• Comfortable with a startup environment and Agile frameworks.

• Professional English required.

Would be a plus

• Applied knowledge of the specificities of power electronics (high voltage and high current) and electromagnetic compatibility.

• Basic knowledge of testing and measurement methods used for rocket propulsion.

• Italian and/or French speaking.

Compensation & advantages

Base salary negotiable based on experience. Additionally, competitive compensation package including meal vouchers, holidays vouchers, 75% public transport reimbursement (versus the usual 50%), sustainable mobility package “Forfait Mobilité Durable”, IT material compensation, team performance bonus. Flexible remote work organisation.

If you thrive on challenge, take on a new one and join the crew.